Physical Sciences Division Staff Awards & Honors

Zizwe Chase Wins Oral Presentation Award at WSU's Wiley Exposition

Zizwe Chase, winner of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Oral Award at Washington State University's William R. Wiley Exposition. Photo from Washington State University

Congratulations to Zizwe Chase at
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Washington State University on
winning the Engineering and Physical Sciences Oral Award at Washington State
University's William R. Wiley Exposition. The exposition provides WSU students
with an opportunity to share their research with alumni, faculty, and students.
In a succinct and engaging 15-minute talk, Chase explained his discoveries of
changes that palladium catalysts underwent during phenol hydrogenation in an aqueous
media.

Chase's journey to the Wiley Expo
began in 2011, as he was working on his Ph.D. in chemical engineering and
working on catalytic research at PNNL. The group that he worked with decided to
determine the effect of water and other materials on palladium catalysts in a
hydrogen-adding reaction that is part of the process of turning biomass into
fuels. His research provides fundamental knowledge needed to design
long-lasting, efficient materials for sustainable energy.

During his 10-month research
project, he gathered mountains of data, including x-ray absorption
fine-structure spectroscopy data from the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne
National Laboratory. Chase worked with his Ph.D. thesis advisor Voiland
Distinguished Professor, Dr. Yong Wang, who holds a joint appointment with
PNNL. He also worked closely with Drs. John Fulton and Don Camaioni at PNNL to
analyze the data. "They really took the time to answer my questions and
explain things," said Chase. "The one-on-one mentoring I've received
has been phenomenal."

Scientists at PNNL often mentor
students and others on research projects. "Seeing people learn is a large
part of the reward," said Camaioni.

Chase is looking forward to
continuing to work at PNNL. "Zizwe learned this method and the theory in
record time," said Fulton. "I'm looking forward to seeing what other
discoveries he makes by applying XAFS to new catalysts."

The exposition is named in honor
of William R. Wiley, who earned his doctorate at WSU and served as a President
on the Board of Regents. He also served as Director of Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory in Richland, Wash. Wiley was a passionate believer in the
power of education, and both a local elementary school and a national
scientific user facility in Richland are named in his honor.